Frequently
Asked
Questions

Q: Will I have to "Vote on everything?" like 200 land use changes every year?

A: Absolutely - NO! This is a ridiculous scare tactic by the growth machine trying to trick you. Under Florida Hometown Democracy, you will vote ONLY on comprehensive plan amendments approved by your local government. Florida Hometown Democracy will stop the growth machine from proposing outrageous comp plan amendments because it will know that the electorate will reject them. The number of comp plan amendments that actually make the ballot will be significantly reduced.

Q: Does your city or county commission hand out comp plan amendments like candy?

The Florida Growth Management Act became law in the mid-80's and mandated comprehensive planning, to protect Floridians from sprawl and over-development. It intended that future amendments be few and far between. (It was supposed to be hard to amend a comp plan!) A proposed change would go through two public hearings and review in Tallahassee by the Department of Community Affairs.

So what went wrong? Over the years, the Legislature has made it easier and easier to amend comp plans, by carving out loop holes, like proposed plan amendments that do not have to go to Tallahassee for review, etc. But the real problem is this: comp plan amendments, like all land use changes, are POLITICAL DECISIONS MADE BY ELECTED OFFICIALS. When our commissioners vote on a proposed comp plan change, they are supposed to be representing the broad public interest. But we know what happened to that: the public interest was hijacked by the growth machine and redefined to mean keeping construction going full throttle. The well being of the community, the citizens' quality of life, our beautiful environment, everything that makes your community a desirable place to live has been sacrificed at the alter of the growth machine. Too many commissioners RUBBERSTAMP BAD COMP PLAN AMENDMENT PROPOSALS.

Now you understand that there were not supposed to be so many comp plan amendments in the first place. Once the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment is in the Florida Constitution, the number of requests for comp plan changes will drop like a stone, because the developers will know that they will need to persuade not only a majority of a city or county commission that their proposal is in the public interest, but, if the commissioners approve it, it, the voters too. The sweetheart backroom deals will come to end. Developers will learn to live within the parameters of the plan, like they were supposed to.

So remember: you won't vote on rezonings or variances. You won't vote if the lady down the street wants to repaint her house. You will vote on only those few comp plan amendments that actually get approved. You can expect Florida Hometown Democracy to give commissioners the backbone they've been missing and start to say NO to bad plan amendment proposals.

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Q: Can I sign the petition on-line?

A: Sorry, but no. State law requires that you fill in the petition with a pen and mail it in to us at:

Florida Hometown Democracy, Inc.
P.O. Box 636
New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32170

If you are having trouble downloading the petition, please call us tollfree at: 866-779-5513 and we will mail petitions to you. Please note that state law now requires that we must get your petition to the supervisor of elections for processing within 30 days of the date you sign the petition. So please mail all petitions to us promptly.

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Q: When does the petition drive end?

A: We must collect 611,000 verified petitions by January 31, 2008 to qualify for the November 2008 ballot. Please help us make the ballot by collecting petitions from registered Florida voters.

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Q: What does the Florida Hometown Democracy petition say?

A: This amendment - if adopted - will give you, the Florida voter, the right to decide whether your city or county Comprehensive Land Use Plan should be changed. Currently, city councils and county commissions make those decisions

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Q: Why is this amendment needed?

A: Currently, it's just too easy for wealthy developers to obtain comprehensive plan amendments - all they have to do is persuade a majority of a city or county commission to grant a change. Because comprehensive plan amendments determine the destiny of a community for generations to come, it is vital that changes to a comprehensive plan truly reflect the concerns of the voters. This will be accomplished through the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment.

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Q: What is a Comprehensive Plan?

A: Comprehensive Plans and the planning process were created by act of the Florida Legislature back in 1985. Known as the Growth Management Act (Chapter 163, Part II, Florida Statutes, The Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act), it requires all local governments (i.e., all counties and municipalities) to adopt a Comprehensive Plan to guide their future growth and development.

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Q: How does Florida's Hometown Democracy Amendment work?

A: Florida's Hometown Democracy Amendment simply replaces county or city commission votes to adopt or change a comprehensive plan with votes by the citizens. In other words, it lets the people vote. Here's how it works.

Each comprehensive plan amendment will be listed as a referendum election item and scheduled for the next regular election. By having the issue addressed at the same time as the general election relieves the need for a special election and doesn't increase the cost of doing so. No special elections will be necessary - so no special purpose funds would need to be expended. If a community so desires, a referendum could even be held by mail.

Florida's Hometown Democracy Amendment gives the keys of stability back to the voters, allowing the will of the people to lock or unlock changes to existing land use categories.

In summary, with the Florida Hometown Democracy amendment, the voters will decide if a proposed change will make their community a better place to live. If the majority vote yes, then the change happens. If the majority vote no, then the change doesn't happen. Its as simple as that.

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Q: How can I learn more about my local comprehensive plan & what it means for my future?

A: Each City and County in Florida has a Comprehensive Plan. May we suggest that you begin by familiarlizing yourself with your own local government's comprehensive plan(s) - you may be surprised by what it says.

Some localities will post their comprehensive plan on their web site, or make them available to you by request, even emailing copy to you through the internet. Try contacting your local government's planing department or clerk's office by phone. Some governments make hard copies available to you at your local library. Either way, the Florida Sunshine laws guarantee that these plans are to be accessable to you.

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Q: When will elections be held?

The Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment does not require special elections. Any referendum on a comprehensive plan amendment will occur at the next regularly scheduled local election. Typically, there is an election every year. If the applicant for the comp plan amendment wants to pay for a special election, that would be acceptable. Voters will not be required to pay for special elections.

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Q: What are the costs associated with Florida Hometown Democracy?

A: Negligible. A little extra ink on the already scheduled ballot. But Florida Hometown Democracy will save Floridians untold billions of dollars. You already know that most new construction does not pay its way: the tax revenue assessed and impact fees on new construction does not begin to cover the costs associated with putting in new roads, schools, water and sewer, not to mention essential services including fire, rescue, police, garbage, etc. Taxes are rising fastest in the faster growing areas. For too long Floridians have suffered the double calamity of both watching their state ruined by bad development and paying for it too.

Mark Lane wrote a great article that explains how growth doesn't pay its own way.
Read that article here.

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Q: What role will the Florida Legislature play under Florida Hometown Democracy?

A: None. The Legislature will have no role to play. It is not required to pass any implementing legislation or allocate any funds. The genius of Florida Hometown Democracy is that it is a fully self-executing law. The day it is enacted by Florida voters is the day it takes effect.

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Q: What role will a city or county commission play under Florida Hometown Democracy?

City and county commissioners will continue to hold public hearings on proposed comp plan amendments and vote whether to approve or reject a proposal, just as they have always done. Commissioners will still have the power to kill bad proposals. Florida Hometown Democracy will give voters a veto over bad proposals that a commission insists on passing.

The amendment will clean up the corrupt local politics of growth. Developers will no longer be able to buy off a simple majority of a city or county commission. Example: 2 Palm Beach County Commissioners have been indicted in the past few months regarding their corrupt land use votes in exchange for secret payoffs from developers. Florida Hometown Democracy will give commissioners the back bone to finally say NO to bad comp plan amendments.

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Q: What impact will the Florida Hometown Democracy have on construction?

A 1999 study added up the residential density allowed by all the town, city and county comprehensive plans and determined that the sum total of all the plans allow enough residential development for over 100 million people. Currently, the state has about 20 million residents. That study was conducted eight years ago. Imagine how much density has been authorized since then, as Florida went through the biggest developer driven boom in its history! Under Florida Hometown Democracy, even if voters reject most future comp plan amendments, there is so much growth built into the plans development will continue. Developers will learn to live within the parameters of the plans...they probably won't get everything they want.

Read about the 1999 study here.

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